My Little Pony: Sparkling Harmony: Season Three

by Captain_Cosmos


Episode 2: Change in Management

The golden smoke cleared gradually as everypony coughed it up. Sparkler fluttered her eyes open. “Oh for Faust’s sake Flurry sneezed again!” She exclaimed. She glanced around and at first she saw nothing inherently wrong. She smiled. “Oh, ok things seem normal this time.” She sighed in relief.

“Uh…I wouldn’t say that.” Fancypants responded as he pointed his hoof downward.

Sparkler looked at where he was pointing…and her jaw dropped, Twilight Sparkle, her fiancée…was a baby! She took another look around and noticed much more than that.

The Mane 6 were all Flurry’s age.

Shining and Cadence were CMC aged.

And Celestia and Cadence looked like they were teenagers. Sparkler blinked, before she screamed. “WHAT HAPPENED?!” She shrieked.

“Squeak! Another sneeze. Squeak!” Streaker responded.

“Crow! And this time it seems to have regressed everypony except Starlight, Night Mare, you, and the kids. And also us and dad. Crow!” Flapperina added.

The Mane 6 looked at each other and themselves, and all of them except Pinkie started to cry. Wailing like babies do. The ponies who could actually think immediately went to the nearest baby and started working to quiet them. “Hey, hey it’s ok girls. No need to cry.”

“We’ll get you back to normal.”

Flurry was giggling. Luna raised an eyebrow at her. “Pray tell, Should young Flurry Heart not have been able to do magic with her horn inhibitor on?” She asked.

Cadence, after calming down Rarity, walked up to Flurry and took her in her forelegs. Her eyes widened as she realized the problem. “Shiny? Where’s her magic inhibitor?” She asked.

“What? It’s not on her?” Shining asked. He rushed over to his wife and daughter, and indeed saw that Flurry was free of a magic inhibitor. “Oh no. No no no where is it? I could’ve sworn I put it on her this morning!”

“Well it’s not on her and it allowed her to do this!” Cadence shot back.

Sparkler blinked, before she lit her horn and captured all the babies in her magic. “Ok, ok I’m sure we can fix this. Everypony not affected aim your horns at the stage and cast an age spell. Everypony affected, onto the stage.” She said.

“Nah. I don’t think I will.” Luna said.

Sparkler’s eyes widened and everypony stared at Luna. Celestia gulped. “Luna, come on, let’s get on the—”

“No!” Luna responded, cutting Celestia off. “You’re not our mom, and neither is she.” She pointed at Sparkler.

Sparkler gasped. “Luna, are you OK?” She asked, afraid of the answer.

Luna scoffed. “I’m fine. I’m just not going to be a lab experiment.” She said.

Starlight blinked. “Uh, we’re not—“

Before Starlight could go on, Luna lit her horn…and vanished into thin air. Everypony gasped. “Uh…that can’t be good.” Fleur said.

Celestia’s eyes widened in realization. “She is acting like she did back when we were in our teens…whatever Flurry did must be reverting our minds as well.”

Night Mare’s eyes widened in horror as it dawned on her what that meant. “And right now, you’re a teenager too…”

Sparkler lit her horn and aimed at Celestia. “I never thought I’d be blasting at you Princess, but we need you back to your proper age NOW!” She blasted at Celestia with an age spell. Celestia disappeared in a blue smoke.

Everypony around watched as the smoke cleared…and much to their surprise, Celestia appeared unaffected. “…Why didn’t that work?!” Starlight asked, panicky.

“This is bad.” Fleur responded.

“Yes, it is. I can feel my mind reverting.” Celestia responded. She took a deep breath. “A teenager is not fit to rule a nation. Much less teenagers like myself and Luna.”

“Ok so what do we do? I mean it’s not like you can temporarily crown somepony else in your stead.” Shining responded.

“Given the circumstances, I am afraid we have no other options.” Celestia responded. She stared at Sparkler. “Sparkler, I understand that you do not wish a crown on your head. But I am afraid I must ask you to act in mine and Luna’s name as acting Princess of Equestria.” She said.

Sparkler blinked while she processed what Celestia just said. “Celestia, with all due respect, FLEUR would be a MUCH better option. She probably knows more about this than I do.” She said.

“I am afraid Fleur’s ties to certain ponies makes her a less than ideal option.” Celestia responded.

“She’s right.” Fleur responded. “Fancy and I have regular contact with ponies that would JUMP the opportunity to manipulate a princess. And I’m not ashamed to admit I can be more easily swayed than Celestia.”

Sparkler stared at everypony. Night Mare bit her lip. “And an Alicorn would be taken more seriously…” She said.

Sparkler’s mind was racing. She had already accepted that she’d be a princess consort, but she wanted nothing more to do with royalty than that. “I…I don’t know…” She said.

“Sparkler, I would not be asking you if I didn’t have complete confidence that you are able.” Celestia said, offering her an encouraging smile. “Please, we need you.”

Sparkler looked around to the ponies around her, all of them were smiling at her. Right then, something tugged on her leg. She looked down and saw baby Twilight looking up at her with the cutest smile she’d ever seen. Finally making up her mind, she nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.” She said.

Celestia nodded and turned to Spike. “Spike, take note of this and send it to Raven Inkwell, with the request to get to Ponyville as soon as possible to assist Sparkler.” She said as she lit her horn and removed the crown from her head. “I, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, under the most extraordinary of circumstances, are stepping down from the throne of Equestria and naming Sparkling Medley acting Princess until such time when myself and Luna are able to reassume the throne.” She said as she placed her crown on Sparkler’s head. “I have every confidence that you will not let myself, Luna, and Equestria down.” She told Sparkler.

“I’ll try my best.” Sparkler responded.

“Very well, I hereby dub thee, Princess Sparkling Medley.” Celestia said.

The kids, who had been watching the whole thing and had taken to keeping the foal Mane 6 occupied, smiled and applauded. Sparkler sighed. “I just hope nopony ends up regretting this.” She said.

Celestia nodded, before her eyes widened. After a second, they returned to normal and she smiled. “Now, are we done here? I like, have things to do.” She said.

Everypony’s jaws dropped. It seemed Celestia’s mind reverted.

Sparkler gulped. “Uh, Celestia. I think it’s best if we turned in for the night.” She said as she looked at her phone’s clock. It indeed was bedtime.

Celestia smiled and lit her horn. “Great. I need my beauty sleep, mind raising the moon and lowering the sun?” She asked as she tossed an object to Sparkler, who caught it in her magic. “That should help you. Toodaloo!” She said as she walked out of the room.

Sparkler blinked, before she whirled around and looked at Flappy and his kids. “Flappy, you and your kids go make sure Luna and Celestia do NOT leave this castle. At least tonight.” She said.

Flappy nodded and he and the kids soared out of the room after Celestia. Sparkler gulped as she looked at the device Celestia had given her. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her what happened. “What just happened?” She asked.

“You were just crowned Princess of Equestria after Flurry Heart sneezed and deaged everypony else Celestia trusted to take her place.” Fancypants responded.

Sparkler stared at Fancy, then at the device…and when reality struck what happened…her brain shut down and she outright fainted.

Night Mare and Starlight caught Sparkler. “Oh yeah. This is gonna be rough.” Starlight commented.

To be continued…